


Home for the Holidays

by Joyful



Category: Glee
Genre: Christmas, Community: glee_fluff_meme, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Military
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-07
Updated: 2011-01-07
Packaged: 2017-10-14 12:16:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/149154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joyful/pseuds/Joyful
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the future, Puck and Finn are away with the military, and their wives and children miss them at the holidays.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home for the Holidays

**Author's Note:**

> A quickie fill for this prompt: http://community.livejournal.com/glee_fluff_meme/2832.html?thread=3962128#t3962128

“No!” Eli Puckerman said, throwing his spoon to the ground. “I don't want it!”

“C'mon, Eli, you have to eat, Baby,” Quinn urged her son.

“Let me get you a clean spoon while I'm up,” Rachel offered, walking into the kitchen. She came back and handed Quinn another spoon. After a decade of living together Rachel and Quinn had an easy familiarity with one another. A week after graduation, Noah Puckerman and Finn Hudson had gone off into the marines together, leaving their high school sweethearts behind. Quinn and Rachel had started their partnership by rooming together in college. When they moved off campus, they lived together for convenience. And, after the double wedding in which Quinn wed Noah and Rachel wed Finn, it seemed only logical for the two young couples to get a house together. Finn and Puck knew that with the state of the world, they'd be away from their wives a lot, and it put both their minds at ease to know that Quinn and Rachel were there to help each other out, especially during their pregnancies.

Rachel never made it to Broadway, instead she went to college, got married, and became a teacher. And in the end, she knew she had made the right choice. Quinn decided to go to medical school, with Puck and Rachel's help, and now, at 28, Quinn was starting a small family practice in Lima. She and Puck had two children: Eli, who was four and Michelle, who was eighteen months old. They were practically siblings to Rachel and Finn's three kids: Miriam, age six, Penny, who was four, and loved to rub in Eli's face that she was five whole days older than him, and Mark, who was just six months old. Rachel and Quinn joked with each other that every time Finn and Puck got time off to visit home, one of them would get knocked up.

“Eli, if you don't eat your lunch, then you can't have any of the sweets that Grandma Carol brings over tonight. She's making her fudge, you want that, right?” Rachel asked the boy who was for all intents and purposes, her nephew.

“Yeah,” Eli said, “Grandma Carol makes the BEST fudge!”

“Then you have to finish your macaroni and cheese,” Quinn told her son. “So you can be big and strong like Daddy.”

“Daddy and Uncle Puck are gonna call tonight, right?” Miriam asked, her eyes deadly serious. Miriam, at six, was almost an exact miniature replica of Rachel, and had her mothers facial expressions down pat. “On the computer?”

“Of course they are,” Rachel promised her daughter. “It's Christmas Eve.”

The combined Hudson-Puckerman household—with Quinn being Catholic and Rachel and Puck being Jewish—celebrated both Christian and Jewish holidays, and traditions. The kids had all had baptisms, the boys had both undergone a bris, they would have First Communion, Confirmation and Bar and Bat Mitvah's. Quinn and Rachel, after years of living together, had decided that their children could pick whichever religion they wanted, when they were grown.

“When is everyone getting here?” Miriam asked.

“Grandma Carol, Grandma Naomi and Grandma Judy are coming over to help us make dinner. Uncle Kurt's coming over in a little while to play with you all while Auntie Quinn and I get ready for company. Everyone else will be here for supper.” Rachel said.

“Did you tell Miriam who else is coming to visit?” Quinn asked, her eyes sparkling.

“Who? Who?” Miriam asked, wondering.

“Aunt Shelby and Beth are coming for dinner,” Rachel said, and Miriam jumped out of her seat without being excused to jump up and down. The Corcorans only visited on major holidays and birthdays, and Miriam, at age six, thought the twelve-year-old Beth was the coolest girl in the whole world, and wanted to be just like her.

“Miri, are you done with your lunch?” Rachel asked.

“Yes, Mommy,” Miriam said.

“Then what do you say?”

“May I be excused please?” Miriam asked.

“Yes you may,” Rachel smiled. Almost on cue, a crying could be heard through the baby monitor.

“Oh, somebody else wants lunch,” Rachel said, hearing Mark wail from the nursery.

“Go get him,” Quinn said, “I'm good here.” She watched Penny and Eli in their chairs, eating their lunch, while she spoon-fed Michelle in her high chair.

“Okay,” Rachel said.

“Penny, Eli, are you finished?” Quinn asked the two four-year-olds.

“Yes Mommy,” Eli said.

“Yes,” Penny said.

“Then you may both be excused,” Quinn told the four-year-olds. “Go wash your hands, and then you can play for a bit before name time.”

“Okay Mommy!” Eli said, and he and Penny disappeared from the kitchen. Quinn spooned more applesauce into Michelle's mouth. She and Rachel did pretty well, two women taking care of five children. They both worked, hired baby-sitters and often had Carole, Judy and Naomi over to help take care of the kids. They were a family. They managed. But she couldn't help but wish, especially during the stress and chaos of the holidays, that Noah was there.

*****

Rachel answered the doorbell, Mark balanced over she shoulder. Kurt Hummel gave her a huge smile, a familiar man standing behind him.

“Kurt, Sam,” Rachel said, beaming. She gave them each a one-armed hug. She was glad the two men had found each other in college, and that Sam had finally come out. They were good for each other.

“Your baby-sitters have arrive,” Sam said.

“Oh, good,” Rachel said. “It's just time to put Penny and Eli down for a nap. Maybe you guys can read them a story to get them into bed.”

“Sure,” Kurt said. “Can I hold my nephew?” he held his arms out for Mark.

“As soon as he burps,” Rachel said, still rubbing circles in her son's back. When he let out a loud belch, she beamed at him and handed him to his uncle. Kurt took the baby lovingly.

“Hey kids! Uncle Kurt and Uncle Sam are here!” Rachel called, and suddenly two four-year-olds and a six-year-old stampeded down the stairs to swarm their uncles.

“Guess what, kids,” Rachel said. “Uncle Sam and Uncle Kurt are gonna give tell you a story before nap-time.”

“Yay!” Penny said. Rachel kissed both men on the cheek, then let them herd the kids upstairs. She went into the kitchen, passing Michelle who was sitting in her playpen with several toys. In the kitchen, Quinn was cleaning up the remains of lunch.

“Sam and Kurt are on here, on naptime-detail,” Rachel said. “So we can start on the preparations for tonight.”

“Cool,” Quinn said. “God, Rachel, I wish the guys were going to be here tonight.”

“Me too,” Rachel said. “Of course, I wish they could have been here all through Hanukah. But Christmas Eve dinner is special. I wish they were here.”

Quinn stopped what she was doing for a moment and laid her hand on Rachel's arm. Having their husbands away was always hard, but it was hardest during the holidays. But Rachel and Quinn were strong. They were soldiers' wives. They could be strong for their children, their parents, and their friends. Rachel looked at the taller woman and hugged her.

“Did you clear off the memory cards for the cameras?” Quinn asked Rachel. “We need to take lots of pictures for the guys.”

“Yep,” Rachel said, “Cleared them off, charged the batteries. I know Finn wants pictures of the tree. He's always loved Christmas.”  
\  
“Hopefully the tree will make it another day,” Quinn rolled her eyes. “If those cats knock off any more ornaments I'm putting them in the food processor.”

“You are not,” Rachel said.

“I know.”

“I'm gonna get started on straightening up the living room while you finish up in here.”

“Alright,” Quinn said. “We've got a lot to get finished before dinner tonight.”

*****

People showed up throughout the day. Naomi Puckerman, Carole Hudson-Hummel, Judy Fabray, Frannie Fabray-Smith, Quinn's sister, and Fannie's 10-year-old son all showed up before two. Malachi and Thomas Berry showed up around three, to spend some extra time with their grandchildren. Quinn and Rachel had stayed in touch with some of their old Glee club friends, and Brittany and Santana, who still lived in Lima, showed up around five, a blond, blue-eyed two-year-old in tow. It had taken Brittany almost three years to wear Santana down, but she wanted a baby, and now they had one. Their son, Trevor, was only a few months older than Michelle. It had taken several years, but the state of Ohio finally recognized Brittany and Santana's love, and they married in a small ceremony. Sue had officiated. Sue was one of their tentative guests. Sometimes she showed up and sometimes she didn't. But they always invited her, just like they always invited Mr. Schue. They didn't like the idea of them being alone on Christmas Eve.

Not everyone had stayed in Lima. Mike, Tina and Artie lived together in LA, where their production company was still in its infancy. Nobody was exactly sure of thw specifics of their relationship, but that was because none of their Lima friends had the guts to ask for details. Surprisingly—to Rachel at least—Mercedes had been the one to make it big on Broadway, and she didn't come home much. Burt Hummel, Will Schuester, the Corcorans and Sarah Puckerman didn't make it to the house until almost dinner time. Sarah's excuse was that she was still runnin on college time, and didn't wake up until three in the afternoon.

The Hudson-Hummer-Fabray-Puckerman women worked all afternoon, with Kurt, Sam and Thomas Berry helping out. When it was time for dinner, they filled the dining room. Twelve-year-old Beth balked at the idea of having to sit at the kids table, and eventually the adults caved, and let her sit at the grown-ups table. When everyone was seated, they all joined hands. Even Kurt and Santana, held hands with the group, while Quinn said grace.

“Heavenly Father, we thank you for bringing us all together tonight, as we celebrate this time for love and family, and the birth of your Son,” Quinn was quite impressed that Rachel and her fathers didn't make even the slightest hint of protest. “We are grateful for the food in front of us, and we are grateful for one another. We ask you to be with Finn and Noah right now, while they're fighting for their country. Protect them, and keep them safe, and bring them home to us as soon as possible. In Your holy name, Amen.”

When Quinn finished, Malachi said a blessling in Hebrew, and then everyone was free to eat their Christmas dinner. Various conversations were carried on throughout the room. People asked Kurt about his fashion, and Sam about his books. Nobody had ever expected Sam to become a writer, especially not with his dyslexia, but he proved to be a great storyteller. Sue showed up late, and joined her friends in dinner. She was even nice to Will. Well, she wasn't openly hostile to Will, which the hostesses thought was good enough. Everyone talked and ate, and enjoyed themselves, although there was a definite layer of sadness and longing hanging in the air. Everyone missed Finn and Puck.

*****

 

Noah Puckerman was stressed out. He and Finn Hudson, his oldest friend, had bent over backwards to arrange a surprise trip home for Christmas. It had required calling in a lot of favors, and owing people a lot of debts, but the two of them hadn't been home in a long time. Finn hadn't even seen his baby boy in person yet, and Mark was already six months old. Neither of them had been back to Lima since the time they'd flown back to visit and Mark had been conceived. That was when Puck had first seen Michelle, at three months old. And it had been a very long time since he had seen Beth, though they communicated on Facebook. So the fact that they'd managed to score a short leave was amazing for both Puck and Finn. Of course, all that effort was proving meaningless. They'd managed to get from the Middle East to JFK. Unfortunately, do to weather and mechanical problems and the two of them seriously having bad luck, their flight to Ohio had been canceled. So there were now two stressed out, angry, 28-year-old Marines pacing in JFK International Airport.

“Shit!” Finn yelled, slamming his fist down on the desk. They'd managed to get on the waiting list for a couple of flights to Ohio, and they'd be paged if seats opened up. But, unfortunately, it was the crack of dawn on Christmas Eve, and the flights were all sold out.

“Come one, dude, let's go get something to eat. They'll page us of anything opens up,” Puck said. They slung their duffel bags over their shoulders and walked to one of the food areas.

“Good morning,soldiers,” the girl behind the register at the McDonald's section greeted them.

“Morning,” Puck smiled.

“You two going home for Christmas?” she asked.

“Hopefully,” Puck said. “Our flight home got canceled. So right now we thought we'd grab a bite to eat while we find out if there's anything opening up to Ohio.”

“Oh, that sucks,” she said, “What can I get you?”

Puck and Finn ordered food and sat down at one of the tables. Finn had never really gotten used to the bitter taste of coffee, though he drank it when it was the only option, so even though it was six in the morning, he was drinking Coke with his breakfast.

“We'll get home,” Puck said.

“I know,” Finn said, but Puck could tell he was doubting it.

“Maybe we can get a flight to a different airport, within a few hours of Ohio, and we can drive home,” Puck suggested. “We'll get there somehow.”

“I was hoping we'd make it for dinner tonight,” Finn said sadly, “But I guess Christmas morning will have to do.”

Puck nodded, shoving an Egg McMuffin in his mouth. Suddenly there was a tap on Finn's arm, and he looked down to see a little girl in a dark red velvet dress with a gold sash. She had brown hair held back with a gold headband, and was absolutely adorable.

“Are you in the army?” she asked.

“We're in the Marines,” Finn said. “It's like the Army, but a little bit different.”

“Were you in—” her face scrunches up as she tries to remember the big word, “The place that sounds like a grandma blanket?”

Puck can't help but laugh. “Afghanistan?” he asks, and she nods.

“Yes,” Finn said, “I'm Sergeant Hudson, and this is Gunnery Sergeant Puckerman. What's your name?”

“Nancy,” The little girl asked.

“How old are you Nancy?” Finn asked. His Daddy instincts had kicked in, and he couldn't help but smile at the little girl. She reminded him of Miriam, which made his heard ache.

“I'm six and three quarters,” she said proudly.

“My daughter is almost your age,” Finn said, pulling a picture from his jacket pocket, and showing the little girl.

“Nancy? Nancy!” a hysterical voice called, and the little girl turned to see a panicky woman running towards her.

“Hi Mommy,” she said.

“Nancy, you should know better than to run off like that!”

“I was talking to the soldiers!” she said. “They were in the place that Uncle Frank is in.”

“Oh, you were in Afghanistan?” the woman asked Finn and Puck. “My brother's stationed there.”

“Yes Ma'am,” Puck said. “We're stationed there right now, actually, We're only on a short leave to visit our families.”

“He has a daughter my age,” Nancy boasted, pointing at the picture.

“That's my wife,” Finn pointed at Rachel, “My daughter Miriam who's six, my daughter Penny is four, and my son, Mark, who is six months. This is going to be the first time I get to see him,” Finn smiled wistfully.

“Who are those people?” Nancy asked, pointing to the other people in the picture.

“My wife, and my two children,” Puck answered. “Our wives live together, and help each other be moms. It's hard for a mom to take care of her kids without a Dad, right?”

“Yeah,” Nancy said, nodding vigorously. “'Cause he has to take the garbage out and fix the car!”

Finn and Puck both laughed at the simplicity's of the child's statement. While they were talking to Nancy and her mother, the rest of their family, which consisted of Nancy's father and granparents, caught up with the two.

“So are you two young men heading home soon?” Nancy's grandfather asked.

“Hopefully, sire,” Puck said. “Our flight was canceled. We were hoping to be in Ohio by this afternoon.”

“Do your wives know your flight was canceled?” Nancy's grandmother asked, her voice full of concern.

“Actually, they don't even know we're on our way,” Finn admitted, “We wanted to surprise them.”

“Oh, that's so romantic,” Nancy's mother said.

“And Finn here, is really looking forward to holding his son,” Puck chimed in. “Mark was born while we were stationed overseas, so he's never even held him yet.” The two young marines had gathered w bit of a crowd, as they talked about their family, and their failed attempt to get home. A lot of people were listening to them, and a few even had tears in their eyes.

“Nancy, we have to go now,” her mother said. “What do you tell the soldiers?”

“Thank you for fighting to keep us safe,” she told Finn and Puck. The two men couldn't help themselves, they both gave the six-year-old a hig, and tried to look serious as she attempted to salute them.

As the crowd began to disperse, the two got up to throw away their garbage, and then picked up their duffels again.

“Let's walk around a bit and stretch our legs,” Finn suggested,

“Good idea.”

The two men walked around for a while, talking about this and that, and not noticing that people were pointing at them and talking about them while their backs were turned.

 _“Paging Hudson and Puckerman. Paging Hudson and Puckerman. Please come to the Virgin America desk at once. Hudson and Puckerman please come to the Virgin American desk right away.”_

Finn and Puck made their way over to the desk and saw a smiling woman standing behind the desk.

“Sirs,” the girl started, “There is a flight leaving for Toledo in twenty minutes. A couple agreed to give their seats to the two of you.”

“Really?” Puck asked, surprised.  
\  
“Who?” Finn asked, looking around.

“That couple there,” she pointed to an elderly couple sitting on the other side of the waiting room. He was talking on an older model cell phone, and she was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. “They've donated their seats to you, free of charge. The plane leaves in twenty minutes.” Puck and Finn signed a couple of papers and took the tickets before making a beeline to the couple.

“Thank you so much,” Finn said.

“Yes, thank you,” Puck said. “You have no idea how much this means to us. We haven't seen our family in over a year.”

“We understand,” the woman said. “We lost our son in Vietnam. It's been almost fifty years, and not a day goes by we wouldn't give everything to see him again.”

The man put his hand over the phone receiver. “You hug your children for us tonight, boys, alright? Kiss your wives, and let your parents tell you how much they miss you.”

“We will, Sir,” Puck said.

“We will,” Finn echoed. They shook the man's hand and got ready to board the plane.

*****

“This is my favorite part,” Rachel whispered to Quinn.

“I know,” Quinn smiled back.

Everyone was sitting around the Christmas tree, Sam with his guitar out, and Kurt at the living room piano, as everyone sang Christmas carols. There were a handful of presents under the true, but the majority of the presents would show up after all the kids were in bed. Burt was even planning on dressing up like Santa, in case the kids tried to sneak out of bed and catch a glimpse. There family filled the decent sized living room. Miriam wasn't really paying attention to the Christmas carols. She was staring at the computer, waiting for Skype to signal that her daddy was there to talk to her. He'd usually called by now, and she was worried. It was Christmas Eve, and if Daddy didn't call soon, she couldn't wait up for him to call, because then Santa wouldn't come. Miriam sat horrified at the computer, wondering if she was going to have to choose between her Daddy and Santa.

“What's wrong, Baby?” Rachel asked, walking over to wrap an arm around her little girl. Kurt was currently rocking Mark while Sam stared at his lover holding the baby, and Rachel wondered how long it would be before Kurt and Sam decided to take the plunge into fatherhood. They were so good with her and Quinn's kids, and they were doing okay financially.

“If Daddy doesn't call soon, we'll have to go to bed! And if we don't go to bed, Santa won't come, but if we go to bed, we'll miss Daddy!” The panic on Miriam's face was clear. She was in a catch-22 and she couldn't see the way out.

“Santa makes an exception for special cases,” Rachel said. “He won't stop until everyone's in bad, but he won't skip us. If he misses us, he'll double back.”

“Are you sure?” Miriam asked, not totally convinced.

“Absolutely, kiddo,” Grandpa Burt. “Your Mommy knows what she's talking about. You wanna come sit on my lap for a while, while we wait for the call?”

“Okay,” Miriam conceded, climbing onto her grandfather's lap. “I love you Grandpa Burt.”

“I love you too, Princess.” Miriam settled into Burt's lap and everyone went back to singing Christmas Carols. They were singing “Silent Night” And everyone was getting really into it. They were all looking at the tree, singing along, that nobody heard the front door open. At the entrance to the living room, two rich baritones joined in with the group.

“Sleep in heavenly, pe-eace. Sle-eep in heavenly peace.” Everyone looked up at that moment and saw Noah Puckerman and Finn Hudson, in military uniforms with duffel bags slung over their shoulders, standing in the doorway.

“Daddy!” Miriam shouted, jumping from Grandpa Burt's lap as she and Penny ran straight for Finn. He dropped his bag on the floor and knelt down to catch his two daughters in his arms. Puck dropped his bag as well to catch a speeding Eli who practically threw himself at his dad. Michelle was being bounced in Beth's lap, but even the twelve-year-old Beth ran to hug the biological father she only saw on holidays and Skype calls.

Instantaneously, caroling was forgotten. People dropped what they were doing and ran to swarm the two Marines. They found themselves surrounded by family. After a few minutes of tearful hugs and kisses, Finn managed to get Mark into his arms and held his son for the first time, pressing a gentle kiss to the baby's forehead.

“Noah, Finn, how long are you home for?” Malachi Berry asked.

“We can stay for all of Christmas and most of Boxing Day,” Puck said. “But our flight leaves from Columbus at 9PM on the 26th.”

“I missed you, Daddy,” Eli said.

“I missed you too, Sport,” Puck said, ruffling his son's blonde hair. He looked so much like Quinn. “Give me a second will you, to say a proper hello to your Mommy.” He stepped aside, pulled Quinn into a tight embrace then spun her around, before kissing her passionately.

“This is the best Christmas present ever,” Rachel whispered to Finn as they both watched Mark sleep in Finn's arms.

“I love you,” Quinn whispered to Noah before kissing him again. She was so busy paying attention to her husband that she didn't hear Santana whisper to Kurt at the back of the room.

“Bet you ten bucks Quinn's pregnant again before Christmas is over.”

*End*

**Author's Note:**

> I really like this 'verse though, and I may play in it again. I especially like the idea of Rachel and Quinn being pregnant with Penny and Eli at the same time. This will not be the last time I write the combined Hudson-Puckerman household.


End file.
